The Arizona champion., 1887-05-28
MURpER MOST FOUL.
samuel s. shull, Q Stockman, Found in Hts Cabin With Ballet Through
 His Heart.

A horrible murder has been perpe. trated in the Mogollon mountains, about forty miles south ot> Flagstaff. On Friday evening the goth boy was riding by MT. Shull's cabin and seeing the door open, looked Tn, and was mortified to see the dead body of its owner lying on the floor. He inn mediately rode to the nearest resi- dence, that of George Pemberton, who lives with his family on ranch about one mile from the Shull cabin. Here assistance was procured and a messenger dispatched to Fort Verde, orty miles distant, to telegraph to the authorities at Prescott and Flag staff. It was found that MT. Shull had been shot through the heart and twice through the head, either of which wounds would have proven fla tai, and the body had been lying, where 1t was found, about two days.
 On obtaining the information Sher- If Mulvenon and Coroner Ford start ed from Prescott for the scene of the crime. Deputy Sheriff John Francis and Justice of the Peace J. Y. Croth- CTS also went from Flagstaff, both par tles reaching the place about the same time. A coroner's jury was impan- neled and from the evidence given the following facts are gathered:
 MT. Shull was last seen on Wednes- day evening by his neighbor, George PelnbeIton, to whose house he came, Tn company with stranger, for tke purpose Ot obtaining change for S2o. From what the deceased then stated, II seems that this stranger had ridden up to Shull's cabin on horseback and wanted to swap horses, with one that he saw belonging to Shull, as the horse the stranger was riding was a good animal, the trade was made, ohull agreeing to give $5 in money for the exchange, and having no small change, 1t was to obtain this $ that the parties went to Pember- tons ranch. It was stated that the stranger was going to stop with Shull that night and the latter promised MT. Pemberton to come over to the house the next morning to make some arrangements about branding calves. As MT. Shull did not come the next morning, which was Thursday, MT. Pemberton states that he took no mo- tlce of it, thinking that some other business was probably occupying Mir. Shuli's attention. This is about all of the direct facts given at the in- quest.
 At what time the stranger left or wslch way he proceeded, is not known. he stated that he was bound for the Mineral Belt tie camp. When the men were at Pemberton's house, Shuli showed large roll of bills in his possession and as no money was found on the dead body or on the premises, plunder as we'll as murder was committed.
 Dr. Marion, of Fort Verde, exam incd the body and testified as to the cause of death. The supposition IS that the first shot was fired from a pistol from the outside of the cabin through a crevice between the logs. The shot struck Shull in the back go- ing through his heart and causing in- stant death. The murderer then eyi. dently approached his victim and to make sure of his deadly work fired two shots through his brain, one en- tering al the back of the head and the other near the ear, the pistol being held close enough for the powder to blacken the flesh. The murdered man must have been taken entirely una wares, as a doubled -barreled shot gun loaded and cooked was standing with in his reach where he fell. The wounds were made with 45-calibre revolver and the stranger was seen with such weapon in his possession. The deceased had recently had an altercation with a neighbor named Mehan and had knocked him down. Mehan is an old man and Shull was a strong, lusty man of about 45 years, and one c. C. S. SM.eh2I's sons mad d t.,cS tsr1Gt' to whip Shull in return. The boy gave evidence himself as to this and acknowledged having made the threat saying that any man who wouldn't defend his father under such circumstances was cur. There seems to be no we'll grounded suspicion that the Mehans had ahy thing to do with the crime and no such weapon as that used has ever been seen in the pos session of any of the. few residents of the locality. The officers are in search of the stranger, who 1t has been discovered, was recently released from the Phenix jail.
 Samuel s. Shull had served in a New Jersey regiment during the war. He was Knight of Pythias and an Odd,Fellow, and had married sister and brother living on the Verde. The deceased was a bachelor in very comfortable circumstances, having about 400 head of cattle and money out at interest. The remains were ta- ken to Prescott for burial